Devon's Public Health team is 'working closely' with Exmouth's Brandon House care home, where it's reported that nine residents have died following a Covid-19 outbreak.

The residential home for dementia patients had been free from the virus for 11 months, before the illness struck in February.

All residents had received their first dose of the vaccine in January.

There has also been an outbreak at the Holmesley care home in Sidmouth, where two residents have now died, and there have been several other cases of the infection among residents and staff.

Police and the Care Quality Commission are investigating the circumstances of the outbreak, which is not believed to have spread into the wider community.

Devon's Director of Public Health, Steve Brown, said: "We are working very closely with those homes to make sure residents and staff are safe, to control the outbreaks, and to reduce the risk of further transmission.

"Coronavirus is still a very infectious virus, and cases like this are a reminder of how important it is for us still to remain vigilant and to take every precaution to prevent its further spread."

He said the overall number of cases in Devon remains low, but advised that a rise in numbers is likely because of the lateral flow tests being carried out on pupils returning to school.

He said: "With more people taking the test, we are likely to identify positive cases. Therefore we are going to see an increase.

"This is a good thing. We're picking up people who have no symptoms, who if they weren't tested could go on to transmit the virus to other people."

He has urged the families of school pupils to also take up the tests to make sure they are not unwittingly spreading the infection.